Data Analysis · Retention Strategy
Cross-functional · 3-person team
Aspire Institute:
Alumni Engagement
Analytics
Analyzed newsletter and weekly digest performance across multiple send
cycles to find the content patterns driving alumni retention. Turned raw
email data into strategy recommendations that contributed to an 18%
improvement in alumni retention, and coordinated deliverables across a
3-person analyst team.
Alumni Engagement Dashboard
Tableau · Google Sheets · Python
34.2%
Avg open rate
↑ career & events content
8.7%
Avg click-through rate
↑ after digest shortening
−18%
Digest click rate (long)
↓ inverse length relationship
+18%
Alumni retention
↑ post-recommendations
Open Rate by Content Type
Retention Improvement
18% improvement in alumni retention after
strategy recommendations rolled out across newsletter
and digest channels.
+18%
Alumni retention improvement
3
Analysts coordinated into one deliverable
2
Channels analyzed, newsletter and weekly digest
Context
The data existed; the analysis didn't.
Aspire Institute runs an alumni engagement program across newsletter
and weekly digest channels. The data existed: multiple send cycles of
open rates, click rates, and content performance records. What didn't
exist was a structured analysis of which content drives engagement,
where the funnel breaks down, and what the team should do differently.
I handled the analysis and the cross-team coordination that kept three
independent analyses reading as one report.
What I Did
Question-first, then the data.
01
Defined the analytical question
Before opening a spreadsheet: what content drives clicks, and
why? That question shaped what we segmented, visualized, and
excluded.
02
Data cleaning and segmentation in Python and Excel
Cleaned the dataset, segmented by content type and send date,
and found patterns in open and click performance: which content
categories drove the highest engagement, how performance varied
over time, and where the click funnel dropped off most.
03
Dashboard build in Tableau
Built dashboards for non-technical stakeholders: open rate
trends over time, content performance by category, click-to-open
conversion rates, and engagement comparisons between the
newsletter and digest formats.
04
Cross-team coordination for a unified final report
Worked with two other analysts to merge our separate analyses
into one deliverable. We set shared metric definitions early
(what "click rate" means, what "engagement" counts) and a common
visualization style, so the final report read as one analysis
rather than three stitched together.
Key Findings
What the data showed.
| Finding |
Signal |
Implication |
| Career and events content |
Highest open rates |
Alumni opened consistently when subject lines signaled
professional development or upcoming events. Utility drove
engagement.
|
| General digest editions |
Lowest click-through |
Catch-all digests without a clear content hook performed
poorly. Volume without focus diluted engagement.
|
| Subject line specificity |
Correlated with opens |
Benefit-led subject lines consistently outperformed vague or
date-based subject lines across all content types
|
| Digest length vs. click rate |
Inverse relationship |
Longer digests showed lower click-to-open rates. Shorter,
focused editions drove more action per reader.
|
| Send timing |
Variable |
Inconsistent send times complicated performance analysis and
made it harder to build reader habit
|
Recommendations
Four concrete changes.
Lead with career and events content
These two content types drove the highest engagement. Leading
newsletters with career opportunities and upcoming events, ahead of
general news, would increase the share of openers who click through.
Shorten and focus the weekly digest
The data showed an inverse relationship between digest length and
click rate. Fewer, better-chosen items outperform longer digests
with broad content. Recommended capping at 4–5 items with a clear
primary CTA per send.
Rewrite subject lines around benefit, not description
Subject lines that led with what the reader would get ("3
opportunities for your career this week" vs. "Aspire Weekly Digest
#47") consistently outperformed. Recommended a subject line
framework built around specificity and utility.
Standardize send timing
Inconsistent send days made it hard to build reader habit and
complicated performance analysis. A steady weekly cadence improves
open rates and the reliability of future A/B testing.